SINGAPORE: A teenager who initially agreed to a "sugar daddy" arrangement with an older man soon regretted the agreement and sought to back out.
She deleted her chat conversations with the man, Marc Justine Landrio Chandramohan, and blocked him on Telegram after telling him she did not want to be part of the arrangement.
Instead of leaving her alone, Chandramohan, 27, extorted money from her and obtained a sexual act from her under the threat of legal action.
On Wednesday (May 21), Chandramohan pleaded guilty to seven charges. These consist of communicating with another person for the purpose of obtaining commercial sex, abetting by distributing obscene images and videos, extortion, cheating, making obscene films, and abetting another person to perform a computer function without authority.
Another nine charges, mostly related to making obscene films, will be taken into consideration when he is sentenced next month.
Apart from the victim of the extortion, two other victims were filmed by Chandramohan during sex acts, according to court documents. All three cannot be named to protect their identities.
The prosecution described Chandramohan as "a predator of young and naive victims".
"His exploitation of the first victim is particularly egregious, as he mined her for both money and sexual gratification. He concocted a story about taking legal action against the first victim and tapped on her fear of being embroiled in legal troubles," said Deputy Public Prosecutors Adelle Tai and Melissa Heng.
"He was relentless in his exploitation of the first victim and continuously badgered her for money or sexual favours even though the first victim owed him nothing."
Chandramohan knew the victim through Instagram. She was 16 at the time of the offences.
He began chatting with the victim via the app in July 2021 and they continued their conversation on messaging applications subsequently.
That month, Chandramohan told the victim he had plenty of money and did not know what to spend on. He told her how he once "struck a deal with a girl" where he offered to pay her money in exchange for a sex act, according to court documents.
He then asked the victim if she wanted a "sugar daddy" arrangement with him, and suggested paying her S$900 (US$698) in exchange for sexual favours.
Wanting a source of income, the victim agreed, but outlined what acts she would be uncomfortable with.
As part of the agreement, the victim sent Chandramohan four photos of herself in which she was in varying states of undress. She also sent a video of herself removing her school uniform, at Chandramohan's instruction.
On Jul 24, 2021, Chandramohan sent the victim S$100, which the victim assumed was payment for the photos and video.
However, in the early hours of the next morning, the victim thought about what she did and regretted agreeing to the arrangement.
She texted Chandramohan that she did not want to continue with it and deleted the chat with him. She also blocked him on Telegram.
Two weeks later, Chandramohan created a new Instagram account to message the victim and asked when she was going to return the S$100 he gave her.
In response, the victim blocked him on Instagram and deleted the chat as she wanted nothing to do with him.
At the start of 2022, Chandramohan again contacted the victim using a new Instagram account, stating: "I don’t want to do this, I just have it in my heart to text you for the last time about returning my money”.
When the victim asked what he wanted, Chandramohan demanded his money back. The victim said she would only have money when her pay came in, but Chandramohan threatened to take legal action against her.
After a short exchange, Chandramohan told the victim he would "see (her) in court" if she did not pay him back by 9am that day.
Afraid of being sued, the victim decided to meet Chandramohan at his house. On the way there, the victim sought help from her friend to transfer S$100 to Chandramohan, and took a screenshot of the transaction to show him.
Even then, Chandramohan claimed he was upset not because of the money but because the victim had disappeared.
Asked why she blocked him, the victim said she was ashamed at having sent compromising content of herself.
He then told her to go back to the initial "sugar daddy" arrangement but she declined as she had a boyfriend.
He insisted on a sexual favour and said he would not stop pursuing legal action against her.
Believing this to be true, the victim eventually gave in and performed a sexual act. Chandramohan agreed to withdraw his purported lawsuit against her.
As they were about to part ways, Chandramohan told her to expect his text, which would contain a document for her to sign. This was allegedly a document for him to discontinue proceedings against her.
He also asked for her name and identity card number to draft the document.
Chandramohan next contacted the victim on Apr 26, 2022 asking if she had blocked him again. The victim said she had not.
He claimed he had sent her a document and since she had not signed on it, legal proceedings against her were still ongoing.
He asked her for S$1,350 - allegedly half the sum of his legal fee - to pay his lawyer. The victim repeatedly told him she did not have the money but then asked to pay him in instalments from fear of legal action.
Chandramohan said this would take too long and asked her to return to their former arrangement of sexual favours.
She later transferred him S$500, but he asked for the remaining sum of money on the same day, and hinted that she would have to resort to sexual acts if she did not pay up.
On Apr 28, 2022, Chandramohan texted the victim again to insist for the money.
The victim consulted her friends, who told her that Chandramohan was likely lying, so the victim asked for proof of the lawsuit. She lodged a police report later that day.
Separately, Chandramohan filmed videos of two women he dated as they were performing a sexual act. These videos were found in his mobile phone when the police arrested him for the offences against the first victim.
In 2023, Chandramohan applied for a Standard Chartered bank account at the behest of a friend, who asked him if he wanted to make fast cash by relinquishing control of his bank account.
He then provided his friend details relating to that bank account and received S$330 in exchange.
Investigations revealed that S$304,817.76 flowed through this bank account. By the time it was frozen, only S11.88 was left.
Some of the money that flowed through this bank account belonged to a woman who had been told to download an application on her phone. The woman had responded to an online advertisement offering cleaning services and had followed instructions to download the app.
She was then redirected to a website and asked to key in her bank account password and ID. She failed to log in. After that, nearly S$5,000 was transferred from her bank account to the one registered under Chandramohan's name without her authorisation on Feb 28, 2023.
Chandramohan was given an adjournment to settle his matters, including a traffic fine, before he is sentenced on Jun 2.
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She deleted her chat conversations with the man, Marc Justine Landrio Chandramohan, and blocked him on Telegram after telling him she did not want to be part of the arrangement.
Instead of leaving her alone, Chandramohan, 27, extorted money from her and obtained a sexual act from her under the threat of legal action.
On Wednesday (May 21), Chandramohan pleaded guilty to seven charges. These consist of communicating with another person for the purpose of obtaining commercial sex, abetting by distributing obscene images and videos, extortion, cheating, making obscene films, and abetting another person to perform a computer function without authority.
Another nine charges, mostly related to making obscene films, will be taken into consideration when he is sentenced next month.
Apart from the victim of the extortion, two other victims were filmed by Chandramohan during sex acts, according to court documents. All three cannot be named to protect their identities.
The prosecution described Chandramohan as "a predator of young and naive victims".
"His exploitation of the first victim is particularly egregious, as he mined her for both money and sexual gratification. He concocted a story about taking legal action against the first victim and tapped on her fear of being embroiled in legal troubles," said Deputy Public Prosecutors Adelle Tai and Melissa Heng.
"He was relentless in his exploitation of the first victim and continuously badgered her for money or sexual favours even though the first victim owed him nothing."
Chandramohan knew the victim through Instagram. She was 16 at the time of the offences.
He began chatting with the victim via the app in July 2021 and they continued their conversation on messaging applications subsequently.
That month, Chandramohan told the victim he had plenty of money and did not know what to spend on. He told her how he once "struck a deal with a girl" where he offered to pay her money in exchange for a sex act, according to court documents.
He then asked the victim if she wanted a "sugar daddy" arrangement with him, and suggested paying her S$900 (US$698) in exchange for sexual favours.
Wanting a source of income, the victim agreed, but outlined what acts she would be uncomfortable with.
As part of the agreement, the victim sent Chandramohan four photos of herself in which she was in varying states of undress. She also sent a video of herself removing her school uniform, at Chandramohan's instruction.
On Jul 24, 2021, Chandramohan sent the victim S$100, which the victim assumed was payment for the photos and video.
However, in the early hours of the next morning, the victim thought about what she did and regretted agreeing to the arrangement.
She texted Chandramohan that she did not want to continue with it and deleted the chat with him. She also blocked him on Telegram.
Two weeks later, Chandramohan created a new Instagram account to message the victim and asked when she was going to return the S$100 he gave her.
In response, the victim blocked him on Instagram and deleted the chat as she wanted nothing to do with him.
At the start of 2022, Chandramohan again contacted the victim using a new Instagram account, stating: "I don’t want to do this, I just have it in my heart to text you for the last time about returning my money”.
When the victim asked what he wanted, Chandramohan demanded his money back. The victim said she would only have money when her pay came in, but Chandramohan threatened to take legal action against her.
After a short exchange, Chandramohan told the victim he would "see (her) in court" if she did not pay him back by 9am that day.
Afraid of being sued, the victim decided to meet Chandramohan at his house. On the way there, the victim sought help from her friend to transfer S$100 to Chandramohan, and took a screenshot of the transaction to show him.
Even then, Chandramohan claimed he was upset not because of the money but because the victim had disappeared.
Asked why she blocked him, the victim said she was ashamed at having sent compromising content of herself.
He then told her to go back to the initial "sugar daddy" arrangement but she declined as she had a boyfriend.
He insisted on a sexual favour and said he would not stop pursuing legal action against her.
Believing this to be true, the victim eventually gave in and performed a sexual act. Chandramohan agreed to withdraw his purported lawsuit against her.
As they were about to part ways, Chandramohan told her to expect his text, which would contain a document for her to sign. This was allegedly a document for him to discontinue proceedings against her.
He also asked for her name and identity card number to draft the document.
Chandramohan next contacted the victim on Apr 26, 2022 asking if she had blocked him again. The victim said she had not.
He claimed he had sent her a document and since she had not signed on it, legal proceedings against her were still ongoing.
He asked her for S$1,350 - allegedly half the sum of his legal fee - to pay his lawyer. The victim repeatedly told him she did not have the money but then asked to pay him in instalments from fear of legal action.
Chandramohan said this would take too long and asked her to return to their former arrangement of sexual favours.
She later transferred him S$500, but he asked for the remaining sum of money on the same day, and hinted that she would have to resort to sexual acts if she did not pay up.
On Apr 28, 2022, Chandramohan texted the victim again to insist for the money.
The victim consulted her friends, who told her that Chandramohan was likely lying, so the victim asked for proof of the lawsuit. She lodged a police report later that day.
OTHER OFFENCES
Separately, Chandramohan filmed videos of two women he dated as they were performing a sexual act. These videos were found in his mobile phone when the police arrested him for the offences against the first victim.
In 2023, Chandramohan applied for a Standard Chartered bank account at the behest of a friend, who asked him if he wanted to make fast cash by relinquishing control of his bank account.
He then provided his friend details relating to that bank account and received S$330 in exchange.
Investigations revealed that S$304,817.76 flowed through this bank account. By the time it was frozen, only S11.88 was left.
Some of the money that flowed through this bank account belonged to a woman who had been told to download an application on her phone. The woman had responded to an online advertisement offering cleaning services and had followed instructions to download the app.
She was then redirected to a website and asked to key in her bank account password and ID. She failed to log in. After that, nearly S$5,000 was transferred from her bank account to the one registered under Chandramohan's name without her authorisation on Feb 28, 2023.
Chandramohan was given an adjournment to settle his matters, including a traffic fine, before he is sentenced on Jun 2.
Continue reading...